Belt For A Sewing Machine Project

[terry_g]

I bought this sewing machine off of Amazon. It works well for the few small projects that I have done with it.
Its a treadle/hand crank machine. It is a copy of a 1870's Bradbury machine. I would like to drive it with an
electric motor. I can buy a sewing machine motor with foot pedal for not a lot of money. I don't want to run
the machine too fast, I'm thinking maximum 100 RPM. Sewing machine motors turn fairly fast 6000 RPM
so I would need a 6:1 and a 10:1 ratio pulley reduction. The first reduction off the motor with a sewing
machine belt is simple but the second one I am at a loss what to use for a belt. I don't want to go with FHP belts.
Does anyone here have any idea what would work and a supplier?

 

[DPittman]

There are a few examples of what some guys did on YouTube

These are not necessarily the best examples just ones that popped up with a quick search.

I have the same sewing machine and have toyed with the idea of powering it but haven't done anything with it yet. I did repower an old singer with a treadmill motor once though.

 

[DavidR8]

We had an old Pfaff that had a round leather belt with a metal coupler like a big staple. Worked well but I have no idea where one might buy one.

 

[whydontu]

Urethane belting is cheap and takes seconds to make up. Heat a knife, melt the urethane, squish together, let it cool, trim the excess.

https://www.amazon.ca/Urethane-Belting-Transmission-Conveyor-Polyurethane/dp/B08XNSMCCB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38LAZ34CO9N0P&keywords=urethane+belting&qid=1690768804&s=industrial&sprefix=urethanebelting%2Cindustrial%2C158&sr=1-1

 

[DPittman]

We had an old Pfaff that had a round leather belt with a metal coupler like a big staple. Worked well but I have no idea where one might buy one.

Believe it or not you can still buy leather sewing machine belts just as you describe from Aliexpress and maybe even Amazon. However as @whydontu suggests urethane is a better alternative.

FWIW I believe the traditional premium leather sewing machine belts were made out of water buffalo leather .